Booking a relaxing weekend at the pool and buying a new drill were just a few of the plans Louisiana Lottery players had for some of the more than $12.6 million in scratch-off prizes claimed in December. The Lottery also reported more than $9.9 million won during drawings held in December.
December-s draw-style game winnings included one $2 million Powerball match-5 + Power Play prize, three $50,000 match-4 + Powerball prizes and 43 match-4 prizes totaling $4,300. There were also two Mega Millions match-4 + Mega Ball prizes of $5,000 and 30 match-4 prizes totaling $15,000. Two players won Lotto jackpot prizes of $705,193 and 133 players won Lotto match-5 prizes totaling $254,132, helping to bring Lottoss monthly total winnings to $2,142,850. Pick 3 winning tickets totaled $2,358,510 and Pick 4 winning tickets totaled $2,020,800.
Three-hundred-three players won Easy 5 match-4 prizes totaling $30,300, which brought the gamess monthly total winnings to $204,522 with an additional $146,950 won on ezmatch, an instant-win option available for an additional $1.
sMore than 24,000 Power Play purchasers won a bonus total of $1,150,789 in addition to their regular Powerball prizes, including the $2 million match-5 + Power Play winner,M Lottery President Rose Hudson said. Over 26,000 Megaplier purchasers won a bonus total of $162,412, in addition to their regular Mega Millions prizes, including a $25,000 match-4 + Mega Ball + Megaplier winner.O The Power Play option offers Powerball players the chance to increase any nonjackpot winnings. The $1 Megaplier add-on multiplies nonjackpot Mega Millions prizes by a multiplier number selected during the drawing.
In total, draw-style game winnings from drawings held in December were $9,987,410. Lottery draw-style game players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the winnings from those tickets.
We encourage players to sign the back of their tickets immediately after purchasing and to check them promptly after the drawing. Even if a ticket does not win the jackpot, it could have won another prize,W Hudson added.
In addition to $12,685,017 in scratch-off cash prizes paid during December, players also claimed $1,926,252 worth of free-ticket prizes. According to Lottery policy, scratch-off games are closed when all top prizes are claimed, and scratch-off players have 90 days from the official game closure date to redeem a winning ticket. A list of current scratch-off games, prizes remaining and claim deadlines can be found on its website, www.louisianalottery.com/scratch-offs.
While actual game performance and the amount of prizes claimed will vary from month to month, the Lottery allocates nearly 53 percent of sales to fund prizes. At least 35 percent of sales is transferred to the state treasury for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds K-12 public education in Louisiana. Retailers are paid at least 5 percent compensation, and the Lottery retains approximately 6 percent of sales to operate.
Hudson reminded ticket purchasers to play responsibly, encouraging anyone who has a gambling problem, or friends and family of anyone with a gambling problem, to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for help. Ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age.
